Blogcritics Author: Ruth

Announcement: Short-content feeds

Phillip Winn — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 12:00:00 EDT

Sunday, August 26, 2007, marks the switch of all Blogcritics.org article feeds from full-content to short-content. This is the result of several converging factors, and is unfortunately a permanent decision (as permanent as any decision can be on the web, that is). We are aware of all of the reasons that this is a Bad Idea, and we are aware that some of you will be quite upset about having to click on something to read the free content, and we're sorry. Unfortunately, despite great effort, full-content feeds are not currently economically viable. Two other factors are involved: full-content feeds have resulted in an unprecedented level of content theft, with BC content appearing on many websites, usually spam sites, without attribution or permission. This duplicate content causes a cascading set of problems, not the least of which is that search engines generally aren't favorable to duplicate content, and don't always guess correctly. Finally, our RSS advertising partner is strongly in favor of short-content feeds. We hope that you'll continue to subscribe to BC via RSS, and when an article grabs your eye, it's only a click away, still free on the BC website. Thank you for your understanding.

Enough with the Broody Vampire Beaus - Gimme Back the Dukes!

Ruth — Thu, 10 May 2007 05:05:46 EDT

Okay, I have to say this. What’s with all the vampire-themed romance novels I see everywhere these days? A girl just wants to read a simple romance about a Duke having a tryst with a clueless virginal lass, and you end up only finding tales of clueless virginal lasses having trysts with... vampires. And, yeah, werewolves.I don’t know about you, but I kinda like my gentlemen alive and not sporting fangs.Oh wait, some of these vamps are not really undead but sort of suffering from some genetic anomaly. No matter. The last thing I want in my beau is that he has an insatiable appetite for my blood.I am totally mystified how vampires (and all things handsome but creepy) have hijacked the romance genre. Is it the Anne Rice effect? Are people mourning the demise of Angel and Buffy?Declaring that "the lure of the vampire hero is the darkness that surrounds him," Romance author Amanda Ashley goes on to say:...He is mysterious, he is dangerous, he can be ruthless, but, for the woman he loves, he is tender, gentle, protective. To be loved by such a man, to be willing to risk the danger inherent in such a relationship, is exciting, thrilling, and a little scary.In spite of women’s rights and equality, I think many of us harbor a secret longing to be dominated by a powerful male. Not in a cruel, sadistic way, of course. I’m not talking slavery or abuse. There’s also something appealing about being able to win the love of such a man, to know that he would sacrifice his life for yours. Um. Okay!My sister loves the genre to bits. I tried reading some of her books (free books, why not?) but couldn’t get past the first chapter. These vampire beaus have become terribly cliche. They’re almost always broody and sad and um, great in bed. Hey, give me a happy vampire who just wants to watch daffodils grow and I may give it a try. (But they can keep the great-in-bed part.)You know what kind of romance hero I’d love to read about? Some centurion in ancient Rome. Or an arrogant Patrician who falls in love with a slave girl. Now, that’s a romance craze I’d go for...

Ruth lives in the tropical, happening city of Kuala Lumpur, where the tallest buildings in the world (well, not-so-tall anymore) gleam and the food is fab. She can't say much for the broadband service, though.

TV Review: Jericho - When the World Ends

Ruth — Fri, 24 Nov 2006 10:53:26 EST

The moment I heard there was going to be a TV show about how people survive nuclear bombs falling on American cities, I knew I was in. Yeah, yeah, the truth is I kinda love apocalyptic TV shows and there are far too few of them. (Make that none.) I'm glad Jericho survived the initial critics' speculation that it would die a swift death. Instead, it has become CBS' modest hit - even if it pales in comparison with shows like Heroes and Lost, which I've given up on.Heading the cast is Skeet Ulrich who plays prodigal son Jake Green. He returns to the small town of Jericho after a mysterious five-year absence. I only remember Ulrich as the guy who always plays jerk boyfriends (one in Scream and the other in that movie about witches). However, he is simply magnetic here (here's my fan girl side speaking) and when he came out of the shower dripping wet, wearing only a towel in Episode 5, I was sold.Okay, besides me liking Skeet, I enjoyed watching the web of relationships evolve in Jericho after the disaster. I like prodigal son stories so I enjoyed watching the dynamics between Jake, the Green patriarch, Jonathan, and Jake's older brother.So far, Jake is proving himself to be a natural leader in a town that once regarded him as a troublemaker. The haunting question is what did he do the five years he was missing? It's like background noise in each episode. Jake, for one, seems to have skills that hint he was in the military, or at least part of some kind of militia. Was he on the side of the good or bad during those years? And why is he so reluctant for others to know?The most common complaint against this show right now is that it's too unrealistic. (Believe me, if it was realistic, we'd be too darn depressed to watch it.) Why do the town people still gather around the town centre like normal after the disaster? Why are they still having Thanksgiving celebrations? Personally I believe people will do anything to hang on to something familiar. Going on with their daily routine is one way. It's also admirable that the Mayor's wife, Jericho's First Lady, is making it her mission to give the town something positive to look forward to besides the bleak future - even if it's in a Good Housekeeping kind of way with the Halloween, BBQ, and Thanksgiving parties. (In fact, in the latest episode, "Fallout," Jake asks his mum the same question: Why hang on to these things? And her answer: Because it's important to do so.)Jericho probably wouldn't survive if it was too depressing. I watched The Testament, a movie with the same premise, and boy was I depressed. Having these 'happy' moments is a good reprieve.I have one problem with the show's writing - the patriarchical tone of the show. Is it me or are the women staying at home preparing Thanksgiving dinners and imaginary weddings while the men protect the town and do all the macho stuff? Have the women do something besides cooking and preparing for parties because this is pissing off some women viewers!I'm also a little worried about the speed people are hooking up on this show. That is usually bad news for a show when couples form, but I may be overly worried for nothing.It's a little sad -- after reading forums and blog comments -- that some people are giving up on the show. They should stick around because I'm selfish - I don't want ratings to fall and Jericho to disappear! So far, Jericho still has my attention. I have a feeling that in the future, military rule will come to this town. Things will really spice up then! And, oh yeah, Jake's past better be revealed this season. People are getting impatient.

Books Review: Fiona McIntosh's Quickening Series - Myrren's Gift, Blood and Memory and Bridge of Souls

Ruth — Tue, 3 Oct 2006 17:52:48 EDT

My friend Eyeris once remarked that Robin Hobb is cruel to her characters, making them suffer so much. Man, he has not read Fiona McIntosh. Now, she really tortures her characters. Literally.The Quickening is the Titus Andronicus of the fantasy genre. A lot of people die. A lot. And brutally. Very brutally. My eyes just glazed in fascination when McIntosh describe their cruel ends in succint paragraphs: nailed to a cross and burnt alive, beheaded messily, forced to carry the head of a loved one - if she drops it, she dies. Whoa wee, I'm glad I am not a character in McIntosh's book.But am I saying that the Quickening series (Myrren's Gift, Blood and Memory and Bridge of Souls) is bad? No, far from it. In fact, it's the first fantasy series in a long, long while that I read through in just one and a half weeks! And that's three thick books, mind you. It's been a long time since I enjoyed a book so much; I got that "turn the page no matter how tired you are at night" feeling. I felt kinda lucky finding a series like that after writing my lament about fantasy books recently.It's actually quite difficult to summarise the storyline without giving spoilers away. But here goes.The main tale is about Wyl, a young general for a grand kingdom, who finds himself out of favour when the new king comes to power. This new king is not just vain and petty, he's downright bloodthirsty and cruel. Anyone who crosses him or looks at him the wrong way or is somewhat related to Wyl, meets a horrible end. (Yet, despite all that, Wyl seems rather careless with the information he shares. Tut-tut. When blurts something out to someone -- a weakness of his, apparently -- I often shake my head because I know the poor bloke will meet a ghastly end.)Thankfully, Wyl has a unique ability that helps him escape certain death. It's this unique ability that's the hook of this book. I can't go further or else I'll spoil it for you guys.McIntosh's characters are a little two 2-D. They're either goody two shoes or are downright evil SOBs like King Celimus. I wondered how it would be if her characters had a little bit more "grey" in them. But then again, if Celimus hadn't been the evil SOB that he is, the ending wouldn't have been so delicious. (Though I think he got off too easily.) Sometimes we just need a simple "justice triumphs at the end of the day" kinda book. The ending is happy. Very, very happy. Maybe too happy, because as a result, it had a strange, unreal feeling to it. After such misery everyone seemed too cheerful. No lamenting for those who've gone by? I thought that the ending was somewhat rushed, but at least it wasn't an agonising one like Robin Hobb's The Farseer series. Poor, poor Fitz. Luckily he had a happier ending in the The Tawny Man trilogy. Phew.Needless to say, my enthusiasm for fantasy fiction has been renewed. I actually rented three fantasy books from a rent-a-book store today. (One of them is Robin Hobb's latest trilogy. Another round of character torture coming up!)

TV Review: When The Levees Broke: A Requiem In Four Parts

Ruth — Tue, 3 Oct 2006 13:43:31 EDT

I love watching documentaries. But I can safely say that very few of them have made me cry. (The only other documentary that did that was 9/11.) Spike Lee's When the Levees Broke is a four-hour documentary on HBO is an unflinching portrayal of the Katrina disaster. It starts with a jazz tune, the music for which New Orleans is so famous. However, while the happy music plays, grim pictures of New Orleans' past interweave with images of hurricane Katrina, and the devastation it wrought shone on the screen.The story of Katrina is told through a series of interviews. Spike Lee has woven quite a tapestry out of these interviews. We have people like the New Orleans mayor and the Governor of Louisiana giving accounts. But what's most effective were the stories told by Katrina survivors. I remember watching this calm-looking man giving an account of how he tried to move his ailing mother to the convention centre where so many suffered in the later days. Only later, as his story unfolded, did I realise that his mother later died and was one of the bodies that were left outside the stadium. In fact, I remember watching and reading news reports and seeing the body either in pictures or telecast over CNN.I was quite moved to see Sean Penn helping Katrina victims, getting down and dirty in the flood waters (by then flooded by sewage and goodness knows what else). It's unfortunate that people say that he's making use of the Katrina disaster to boost his popularity. Excuse me, but the people criticising him were doing it from the comfort of their own couches while the actor waded through dirty waters pulling out the infirm or elderly to boats. At least give him that — he's doing something, whatever his real motives are.The final two hours of the documentary focus on the difficult rebuilding process of New Orleans. Unfortunately, things have not progressed very quickly. Insurance companies are dawdling as they find loopholes to the victims must jump through so that they don't have to fulfill their obligations.I tried to get my dad to watch it, but he told me: "You always watch things that are anti-Bush."And I was like, "Huh?"For the life of me, I don't know why my parents are so pro-Bush. They seem to take it personally that I don't adore Bush and once even called me "anti-American." Funny, here I am, a moderate with lefty-leanings living with conservative right-winged parents! Haha. And I'm in Malaysia, for goodness sake!Anyway, back to the documentary. No, this documentary does not show Bush in a good light at all. In fact, people like Harry Belafonte actually point-blank said that Bush doesn't care for the people. But what really got me was how Bush was grinning or smirking during press conferances about Katrina — I mean, at least show some sadness. Or, the classic, "Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job!" or the fact that most of the US bigwigs were either shopping for shoes (Condoleezza Rice) or going on vacation after the disaster.It is no wonder that Bush's popularity took a severe beating after this incident.Now, don't watch it because it's an anti-Bush rhetoric. Watch it because of the people... listen to their stories. For me, the story that really made me tear was a woman who lost her five-year-old daughter — her body was found months later, and when the woman howled her grief at her daughter's funeral, I couldn't help but cry along with her.

Fed Up With Fantasy Books

Ruth — Sat, 23 Sep 2006 11:38:31 EDT

I can’t remember when was the last time I read a good fantasy book. Oh wait, I do. That was like, last year, when I tearfully read Robin Hobb’s last book of the Tawny Man trilogy - Fools’ Fate. Yes, I shed tears because it was going to be a good, long while before I read good fantasy books like that again.Fantasy used to be my favourite genre, but now I can barely make myself look at the books when I’m at Kino or Borders. This is because fantasy books are so unimaginative these days. (Ironic for a genre that relies a lot on that.) Or maybe I’ve read so many of them that I recognise their plots a mile away. A fantasy book almost always has these “qualities”:set in a medieval European landhas a mat salleh* hero with some issueshero and sidekicks must go on some kind of quest to find something that will save the world from eventual doommysterious elves. Yuck.political machinations in a not-so-friendly courtNow, if I can find books that go beyond these well-written boundaries, I will be very happy indeed. So far, Robin Hobb manages to evade the “elves and quests” curse of the fantasy book world.I really miss the “need to turn the page or else I’ll die” feeling that I get when I read a really good book. I’ve not had that in ages!I’m now trying a new author, Fiona McIntosh, and hope that perhaps she can rival Robin Hobb somewhat. Wish me luck!* Simply put, a white guy.